Tuesday, December 16, 2014

and catches a touchdown! FLONG has won the first FLIR One Hackathon! Judges seemed to appreciate it as the first use of the FLIR One as a HID (human interface device) and a sign of great things to come! See below for the pitch and presentation. Thanks to all my friends who helped me, including Eugene, Sophi, Bartek, Simon, Jason and John Bessire. See below for the presentation and award ceremony (thanks John Sokol for the links).

Sunday, December 14, 2014

We just submitted FLONG for the FLIR One Hackathon. See below for summary and pictures! I will post an update when the winners are announced! Fingers crossed that we get in the Top 5 and win a FLIR One.

I'm a huge fan of video games I can play with my 8 eight-year-old son David. That's why I wanted to use the FLIR One to let me play games with my kids and friends wherever I spend time with them. Studies have shown that playing games together can help us build bonds that last a lifetime. And besides that, they're fun! Cell phone games have always felt very single-player and although they are social in the virtual sense they've never helped much for in-person socializing.

FLONG is the world's first simultaneous multiplayer cell phone game. In other words, FLIR Pong turns the FLIR One into a party machine for kids and a conversation starter for adults. Tests show screaming kids love it and when their little brains engage they often get quieter. It was simple enough to make in a weekend but hints at good things to come for this platform. Although the controls are smooth and easy to learn the game is difficult to master. It is enhanced with a reflective stand that allows users to play with their hands above the phone instead of behind it, which is way more fun. Such a stand could be integrated into the FLIR One packaging quite easily, allowing for users to play games right out of the box.